Irish government approves excavation of Catholic orphanage mass grave site

Church-run homes in Ireland housed orphans, unmarried pregnant women and their babies for most of the 20th century. The institutions have been subject to intense public scrutiny since a local historian in 2014 tracked down death certificates for nearly 800 children who had died as residents of the facility – but could find a burial record for only one child.

Investigators later found a mass grave containing remains of babies and young children from 35 weeks to 3-years-old on the grounds of the home, which closed in 1961.

Zappone raised the mass grave scandal with Pope Francis when he visited Ireland in August, calling it a “shameful chapter of recent Irish history.” The pope urged the Irish Church to make reparations to the home’s survivors for its role.